Removable end-piece for fishing float assembly

ABSTRACT

In a separable end-piece for fixing a fishing line on a float assembly, the end-piece consisting of a body mounted on the float assembly, which forms an axial channel through which the fishing line passes, and a spool or element having a neck on which several turns of the line can be secured. The element is attached to the body by a flexible foot. The body forms a cavity into which the element, with the fishing line on it, is secured. The flexible connecting foot is of a sufficient length that it can occupy a transverse position above the blocking cavity so that its end supporting the spool can rest on the upper edge of the body of the end-piece with the spool positioned outside the body for winding the line on the neck of the spool.

Meulnart REMOVABLE END-PIECE FOR FISHING FLOAT ASSEMBLY [76] Inventor:Andr Meulnart, 37, avenue Paul Doumer, Paris, 16 erne France [22] Filed:Jan. 4, 1972 [21] App]. No.: 215,366

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data 3,443,336 5/1969 Reese 43/44.88

Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-Daniel J. LeachAttorney-Toren and McGeady [57] ABSTRACT In a separable end-piece forfixing a fishing line on a float assembly, the end-piece consisting of abody mounted on the float assembly, which forms an axial channel throughwhich the fishing line passes, and a spool or element having a neck onwhich several turns of the line can be secured. The element is attachedto the body by a flexible foot. The body forms a cavity into which theelement, with the fishing line on it, is secured. The flexibleconnecting foot is of a sufficient length that it can occupy atransverse position above the blocking cavity so that its end supportingthe spool can rest on the upper edge of the body of the endpiece withthe spool positioned outside the body for winding the line on the neckof the spool.

8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures REMOVABLE END-PIECE FOR FISHING FLOATASSEMBLY The invention relates to fishing float assemblies of the typewhich includes a separable end-piece for fixing the fishing line on thefloat.

The invention relates in particular to float assemblies for casting orground-bait fishing which comprise two elements which slide in relationto one another. One of the elements forms a float proper while the otheris intended to sink into the water and to be retained there by thefloat. Thse two elements form a housing between them which, when in theair, that is not in use, is normally closed so as to retain and protectthe hook, the bait and eventually fish food particle and which when inthe water opens so as to release the hook and the bait.

An end-piece, mounted on the upper part of one of the two elements, isarranged to block or secure the line in the direction of the descent ofthe hook and to permit, under certain conditions of tension exerted onthe line above the end-piece, the liberation axially of the line inrelation to the float so that it will slide, and of the subsequentrecovery by winding of the entire length of the im-mersed line. For thispurpose the endpiece includes a spool or element attached to the body ofthe end-piece by a flexible foot or the like, with a groove or neck onthe spool on which the line can be wound by hand for a number of turns.To immobilize theline, the spool can be held fast in a blocking cavityformed in the end-piece with the cavity forming part of a channelthrough which the line passes. A downward tension on the line reinforcesthe blocking or holding effect within the cavity while a tension in theupward direction tends to displace the spool or element out of thecavity. After the spool is released from the cavity, the turns of theline wound on the blocking element unwind and the line is free to slideaxially in relation to the whole of the float assembly including itsend-piece.

One of the purposes of the invention is to arrange this end-piece sothat the manual winding of the line on the spool or element and theintroduction of this element into the cavity in the body of the floatassembly are easily accomplished.

For this purpose, according to the invention, a separable end-piece isprovided for fixing a fishing line on a float assembly. The end-piececomprises a body mounted on the float assembly and forming an axialchannel for the passage of the line, and a spool or element having aneck on which a number of turns of the line can be wound. The element isattached to the body by a flexible foot. The body has a cavity intendedto receive and secure the element. The invention is characterized by thefact that the flexible connecting foot is of such a length that it canoccupy a position extending transversely above the blocking cavity sothat its end which carries the line blocking elementcan rest on theupper edge of the body of the end-piece and the element can be placedoutside the body for the winding of the line on its neck.

According to a preferred form of embodiment, the flexible foot isattached to the body above its upper edge, for example on two armsjoined together at their upper ends by a curved element to which thefoot is attached.

According to another characteristic, the blocking cavity is separatedfrom the upper edge of the body by a guiding cavity having twodiametrically opposite longitudinal notches in its side wall intended toreceive together the foot during the line winding operation on thespool. One of the notches extends downwardly to the upper level of theblocking cavity, while the other notch is prolonged downwardly by a slitintended to receive the line beneath the element when it is in thewinding position.

The invention will be understood with the help of the description whichfollows, relating to a preferred embodiment of the invention andreferring to the attached drawing in which FIG. 1 is a perspective viewof the end-piece according to the invention,

FIGS. 2 to 4 are partial longitudinal sections of the end-piece of FIG.I, mounted on a float assembly and shown in three conditions orpositions FIG. 5 is a section along the line VV of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 6 is a section along the line VI-VI of FIG. 2.

The end-piece l of the invention is intended to be mounted on the upperpart of a float assembly represented partially by a rod 2. This floatassembly may, for example, comprise two elements which between them forma housing for the reception of the hook bait and fish food particles,with the housing being open or closed according to the relativepositions of the two elements of the float assembly.

The end-piece of the invention is intended to block the downwardmovement of the line under certain conditions and also, under certainconditions, to make it possible to release the line so that it can slideupwards for the purpose of the recovery of the line, generally bywinding on the reel of a fishing rod.

The end-piece of the invention consists of a body 3, forming an axialchannel 4 for the passage of a line 5 through the body. A blocking spoolor element 6 is attached to the body 3 by a flexible foot and has a neck7 on which a few turns 8 of the line 5 can be wound. A cavity 10 withinthe body is intended to receive and block or secure the element or spool6 and above the cavity 10 and the body has an upper edge 11 on which oneend of the foot 9 may rest (FIG. 3), when the spool 6 is located outsidethe body so that the line can be wound on the neck 7. The neck 7 isarranged in such a way that its axis is parallel to the nearby terminalpart of the foot 9.

In the embodiment shown in the drawing, the foot 9 is fixed to theextreme upper part of the body 3 by means of upwardly extending arms 12which are joined together at their upper ends by an arcuate part l3,which has the shape of a part of a ring. The foot 9 is attached to thepart 13 intermediate its ends. This foot is advantageously formed, asthe other parts of the endpiece, by injection moulding or moulding andhas a certain flexibility which, as will be seen later on, favours theuse of the end-piece. However, the foot can also consist of a simplewire or an imputrescible cord.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the rod 2 of the float assembly penetrates byits upper end into the channel 4 of the end-piece, where it is blockedor held by a locking device 14. The rod 2 in turn has an axial channel15, opening towards the side, for the passage of the line.

The cavity 10 and the channel 4 arranged inside the body 3 form part ofthe same surface. In the drawing, this surface is conically shaped andflares out toward the bottom of the body. If desired at least the cavity10 could be cylindrical. In both cases, the mean dia-meter of the cavity10 is selected according to that of the spool 6 so that the cavity 10can receive the empty spool 6 with only very little play or with no playat all, while when a sufficient number of turns of the line has beenwound on the neck 7 of the spool the outer turns project from theperiphery of the spool (FIGS. 3 and 4), the spool thus wound cannotenter the cavity 10 without being forced into it and therefore cannotleave it except by means of a relatively strong action.

Preferably, the blocking cavity 10 is below a guiding cavity 16 whichopens upwardly and facilities the introduction of the spool into thebody. This cavity is, for example, frusto-conical and its lower diameteris the same as the upper diameter of the cavity 10, so that there is noprojecting or abutment part between the cavities 10 and 16 which wouldimpede the movement of the spool.

The cavity 16 is limited at the top by the edge 11 which is intended tosupport the foot 9 during the winding of the line 5 on the spool 6. Inpoint of fact, in the form of embodiment shown in the drawing, the foot9 does not rest directly on the edge 11, but in the bottom of a shallownotch 17 having a width at least equal to that of the foot 9. This notchis made through and extends downwardly from the portion of the edge 11opposite to the half-ring part 13 with respect to the plane defined bythe arms 12. In other words, the notch 17 is situated, in relation tothe axis of the end-piece, on the side opposite to that on which thefoot laterally projects from the body. Preferably, a slit 18 extendsdownwardly from the notch 17 and the slit is narrower than the notch andis intended to receive the line 5 either freely or without clearancewhen the line is wound on the spool (FIG. 3). This slit 18 may extenddownwardly by a considerable distance into the body or even below thelevel of the blocking cavity 10.

On the other side of the edge 11 from the notch 17 there is providedanother notch 19 of the same length as the notch 17 along the edge 1 1,but extending downwardly to the upper level or the cavity 10. This notch19 is intended to receive the foot 9 both for the winding of the line onthe spool (FIG. 3) when the foot extends transversely above the cavity10 and for the blocking of the element 6 in the cavity 10 (FIG. 4).

The end-piece, according to the invention, has on either side of theplane defined by the arms 12 two lateral openings which widely clear thecavity 10 and therefore the cavity 16. In this way access to the cavity10 and the manipulation of the spool 6 are easy.

The use of the float assembly comprising the endpiece 1 according to theinvention is as follows The end-piece is first of all pushed onto therod 2 (FIGS. 2, 5 and 6), with the spool 6 and the foot 9 located forexample, on the outside of the body. The user passes the line 5 freelyinto the cavity 16, the cavity 10 and the channel of the rod 2, and thendeflects the line into the slit 18, through which the line extendslaterally from the end-piece.

The spool 6 is passed between the arms 12 and above the edge 11 into aportion outside the end-piece (FIG. 3) on the other side in relation toits initial position (FIG. 2). The foot 9 is guided into the notch 17where it is received and is maintained elastically in position becauseof its flexibility. In this position the foot 9 also passes through thenotch 19. The pool 6 thus extends outwardly of the end-piece and isretained laterally and downwardly by the notch walls and also abutsagainst the body 3, and it is maintained in position by the elasticrestoring action of the foot 9. The user grips with one hand the part ofthe line which is located above the spool and easily winds the lineabout the neck 7 so as to fonn a number of turns 8, for example four orfive, so that the turns form a pad or rim which projects outwardly fromthe contour of the spool. During this operation the line 5 which islocated in the rod 2 may or may not be retained according to whether thewinding is carried out with or without tension.

The spool which has been loaded in this way is then moved up over theedge 11 inwardly into the cavity 16. This operation is effected byacting on the foot 9, on the side of its point of attachment, and/or onthe spool, the line being retained on the spool by hand so that it doesnot become unwound. During this transfer the line freely leaves the slitl8 and moves back into the body or else forms an external loop if it isretained by the slit. The spool is forced downwardly into the cavity 10by manual tension on the line portion situated below the end-piece, forexample on the line portion projecting below the float assembly. Thisforce may be aided by pushing downwardly on the spool, although this isnot absolutely necessary. For the pushed-in position shown in FIG. 4,the foot 9 is at or near the bottom of the notch 19 and this blockingposition is limited either by the axial abutment of the spool on the rod2 or by the fact that the foot abuts on the bottom of the notch 19.

The turns of the line 5 project beyond the contour of the spool and aretherefore forced between the neck 7 and the wall of the cavity 10. Thisgripping action has the double purpose of ensuring the holding of thespool 6 within the cavity 10 and preventing the sliding of the line onthe neck.

For the type of float assembly indicated above, the line 5 is woundunder tension on a groove or neck of the spool or element of this floatassembly and is blocked or held in position so that a strong tensionexerted on the upper part of the line 5, for example from the rod,particularly during casting, cannot cause the spool or element 6 to comeout of the cavity. Once it is in the water, the float assembly releasesthe lower part of the line and the line is axially retained only by theturns on the element 6 secured within the cavity 10. The resistance ofthis element to displacement from the cavity 10 is suflicient toovercome the tractive efforts in relation to the float assembly or jerksupwards which are normal during fishing. When lifting in the line, thefloat assembly and the element 6 still held in the cavity are withdrawnfrom the water until the end-piece comes into abutment against the ringat the top of the fishing-rod. An additional tension exerted on the linereleases the element 6 from the cavity because the endpiece is abuttingon the fishing-rod. The element 6 is pulled towards the fishing-roduntil the set of turns is sufficiently inclined for the line to unwind.

This unwinding takes place practically after the element 6 has come outof the second cavity 16. Once the spool or element 6 has been freed fromthe line, the line slides freely in the float assembly for its almostcomplete recovery by winding, while the element 6, as a result of theaction of the elastic foot 9, falls back either into the cavity 16 orinto the position shown in FIG. 3.

As will be seen from the foregoing, the invention provides an end-piecewhich is easy to use, taking into account its small size, essentiallybecausethe edge of the cavity is clear.

The end-piece according to the invention may be made, for example, in asingle piece by injection moulding, including the foot and the spool.

The invention is not restricted to the embodiment which has just beendescribed on the contrary, one could conceive different modificationswithout thereby departing from the scope of the invention. In this way,the foot 9, instead of being connected to the body of the end-pieceabove the edge 11, could be connected below it, thus leading directly tothe body.

I claim:

ll. Separable end-piece for fixing a fishing line on a float assembly,said end-piece comprising a body arranged to be mounted on the floatassembly, said body forming an axially extending channel therein for thepassage therethrough of the fishing line, said body having an upper edgeat one end of said channel, an element having a neck thereon, on whichseveral turns of the line can be wound for securing the line, a flexiblefoot secured at one end to said element and at its other end to saidbody, said body forming a first cavity within its channel arranged toreceive and to hold said linesecuring element, wherein the improvementcomprises that said flexible connecting foot is of such a length that itcan occupy a transverse position across the upper edge of said bodyabove said first cavity, so that its end which carries saidline-blocking element can rest on the upper edge of said body of saidend-piece and said linesecuring element can be positioned outside saidbody for winding the line on the neckof said element.

2. End-piece, as set forth in claim ll, wherein said flexible foot isattached to said body at a location spaced from said upper edge and onthe opposite side of said upper edge from said first cavity.

3. End-piece, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said body comprises twospaced arms secured to and extending axially from said upper edge ofsaid body in the direction away from said first cavity and a partforming a portion of a ring secured to and extending between the ends ofsaid arms spaced from said upper edge, and said lexible foot is attachedto said part.

4. End-piece, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said body has a firstnotch formed therein extending axially from said upper edge and saidfirst notch is arranged to receive said flexible foot for winding theline on such securing element, and said flexible foot is secured to saidbody so that it extends therefrom on the opposite side of the axis ofsaid body from said first notch.

5. End-piece, as set forth in claim 4, wherein said body has a slitformed therein extending in the axial direction of said channel from thebase of said first notch so that the line wound on such securing elementcan extend through said slit into such channel in said body.

6. End-piece, as set forth in claim 4, wherein said body forms a secondcavity within its channel between said first cavity and the upper edgeof said body, said body having a second notch formed in the upper edgethereof and extending from said upper edge to the adjacent end of saidfirst cavity, said second notch is arranged to hold said flexible footduring the winding operation of the line on said securing element andsaid flexible foot bears against the base of said second notch when saidsecuring element is held within said first cavity.

7. End-piece, as set forth in claim 6, wherein said second cavityextends from said upper edge of said body to said first cavity and saidfirst and second notches are located on the opposite sides of said upperedge.

8. End-piece, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said flexible foot andsaid securing element are formed integrally with said body.

1. Separable end-piece for fixing a fishing line on a float assembly,said end-piece comprising a body arranged To be mounted on the floatassembly, said body forming an axially extending channel therein for thepassage therethrough of the fishing line, said body having an upper edgeat one end of said channel, an element having a neck thereon, on whichseveral turns of the line can be wound for securing the line, a flexiblefoot secured at one end to said element and at its other end to saidbody, said body forming a first cavity within its channel arranged toreceive and to hold said line-securing element, wherein the improvementcomprises that said flexible connecting foot is of such a length that itcan occupy a transverse position across the upper edge of said bodyabove said first cavity, so that its end which carries saidline-blocking element can rest on the upper edge of said body of saidend-piece and said line-securing element can be positioned outside saidbody for winding the line on the neck of said element.
 2. End-piece, asset forth in claim 1, wherein said flexible foot is attached to saidbody at a location spaced from said upper edge and on the opposite sideof said upper edge from said first cavity.
 3. End-piece, as set forth inclaim 2, wherein said body comprises two spaced arms secured to andextending axially from said upper edge of said body in the directionaway from said first cavity and a part forming a portion of a ringsecured to and extending between the ends of said arms spaced from saidupper edge, and said flexible foot is attached to said part. 4.End-piece, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said body has a first notchformed therein extending axially from said upper edge and said firstnotch is arranged to receive said flexible foot for winding the line onsuch securing element, and said flexible foot is secured to said body sothat it extends therefrom on the opposite side of the axis of said bodyfrom said first notch.
 5. End-piece, as set forth in claim 4, whereinsaid body has a slit formed therein extending in the axial direction ofsaid channel from the base of said first notch so that the line wound onsuch securing element can extend through said slit into such channel insaid body.
 6. End-piece, as set forth in claim 4, wherein said bodyforms a second cavity within its channel between said first cavity andthe upper edge of said body, said body having a second notch formed inthe upper edge thereof and extending from said upper edge to theadjacent end of said first cavity, said second notch is arranged to holdsaid flexible foot during the winding operation of the line on saidsecuring element and said flexible foot bears against the base of saidsecond notch when said securing element is held within said firstcavity.
 7. End-piece, as set forth in claim 6, wherein said secondcavity extends from said upper edge of said body to said first cavityand said first and second notches are located on the opposite sides ofsaid upper edge.
 8. End-piece, as set forth in claim 1, wherein saidflexible foot and said securing element are formed integrally with saidbody.